My Stepdad Removed My Bedroom Door to Teach Me a Lesson — I Taught Him One Instead

Teens and kids at one point are bound to break a few rules, both big and small. But what would you do if your child snuck out at night for a party? Well, in this story, a boy’s stepdad offers an unusually harsh punishment. The boy, however, has a few tricks up his sleeve.

On top of being grounded, I was stripped of my privacy.

The boy shares, "I’m a 15-year old boy and I live with my stepfamily. One night, I snuck out of the house to go to a party, so my stepdad grounded me and also screwed my room’s door off, leaving me with no privacy whatsoever. A friend of mine told me a way I can get back at him. The school’s parent meeting was coming up, and since my mom couldn’t attend, my stepdad planned to go.

On the day before of the meeting, I filmed my doorless room. That night, I secretly took my mom’s phone and sent the video to the school parents’ group chat along with, “Just showing the internet how grown men act.”

He deserved the shame, but I’m not sure if it was worth it.

He continues, “My stepdad came back from the meeting the next day red-faced, furious, and avoided eye contact. In the evening, I heard him arguing with Mom behind closed doors. He was blaming her, thinking she had agreed with everything I did, since she had stood by me—and he didn’t like that.

The next morning, my door was quietly screwed back into place. Not a word was said. But something had changed. Since then, his behavior toward my mom has been colder. Now I’m starting to wonder, was I wrong?”

Understand the consequences of your actions.

The argument between your stepdad and mom shows that your actions had a deeper impact than just restoring your privacy. While it may have felt like a way to get back at him, publicizing family matters can sometimes lead to long-term tension. Overall, you’ll want to think about whether the short-term satisfaction of rebellion is worth the lasting impact it could have on trust.

Consider the emotional burden placed on your mom.

While your mom may have had your back in the moment, it’s possible that your actions put her in a tricky spot. She might have felt stuck between you and your stepdad. It’s worth thinking about how you and your mom can stay on the same page and handle things together in the future.

Why communicating could have been the better option.

Rather than resorting to a secretive action like sending the video, having an open conversation with your stepdad and mom could have been a more effective way to address the issue. Even though your stepdad’s actions might have been unfair, your response may have escalated the tension. That said, discussing how the punishment made you feel could have led to a more constructive conversation.

Screwing a door off your child’s bedroom is rarely a reasonable consequence. Instead, it’ll likely cause a greater rift between you and them, as seen in this story. Besides, punishments have become a thing of the past. Here’s what you can consider instead.